What flow is that, hareball? I've bought a number of houses over the years and I'm currently looking for a second to buy right now for occasional use. The words and sentiments you've expressed have never been part of the process for me and that's what I said. I haven't ever found any houses that spoke to me.

dexx, none of the houses we've owned have had everything we were looking for nor were any lacking the major things on a short list we thought were essential at that time. And those lists were different from place to place, time to time. The suitability of a home is much more what you make of it than what the architect, general contractor, and prior owner(s) have done.

There will come a time in life when a large lot will be inconvenient.

Or maybe not. I'm working at the mature landscaping, fine tuning it a little and learning more about easier care shrubs than the rare perennials I've collected. It was something I enjoyed, maybe now time to move on to something else. With shrubs and evergreens, lawn, natives running down the hill in back, a contract service if ever needed is very doable. I haven't seen a service yet that could adequately manage perennials.

It has a wood floor in the living room that is perfect for dancing.

It is in the country, in a county we love.

We start with a list of wants, size/sq ft, areas of town we'd be happy with. DH wanted a green belt or open space behind the house. Price per sq ft....we can change most amenities. I hadn't planned on keeping this one for 26 years. :0)

Our home was my husband's family home. I have always loved this neighborhood and the yard here. The house is okay but needs updates and it is just perfect for us!

Yes, a house needs to "speak" to me. Even when I'm watching "Escape to the Country", I'm looking for the house that "speaks". Perhaps its a "woman-thing", not a "man-thing". But then my house is VERY important to me - it's far more than just shelter and a place to sleep!

We were looking to leave Los Angeles - could not afford to stay there. My husband had had phone interviews for this job, and they now wanted to fly him here for a in-person interview. I came along as we had learned that while he was interviewing, I needed to look at real estate and see if we could actually afford to live where the job was. Yes, we learned that the HARD way with our move to LA!

He was offered the job at the end of the interview so the hunt began in earnest. We knew nothing about this city and this was 1984- before the internet. Luckily, there was a woman I had known from our time in St Louis who was from here and had moved back and she was an enormous help with location - she had seen my house in St Louis, we'd gone to the same church, were in the Jr League together - she knew where I would fit in best.

So, for us, "location" became paramount. We also had a list of deal breakers: must be able to fence yard for dogs, must have a garage, must be able to have central AC (no radiators), must have some landscaping, must not be in a new subdivision, must have a floorpan that "worked" - good flow, must have a basement, must be two-stories.

Is this house my "dream house"? No - far from it - that would be a two story, double front Georgian and this is a 1 1/2 story house built in 1948. But I knew it had potential as it had good bones. And I've been proven right. 33 years later, I'd be hard pressed to find a house that has all I have and what I do not.

I think it is rare to find a "perfect" house - one usually must build such, and even then money usually keeps it from being "perfect". It's a rare person who can build a house and not have to compromise on one single thing.

I love looking at real estate for sale online, in various cities, even countries. I call it "real estate porn" and it's highly addictive! I rarely see a house I would trade mine for unless it happens to be about $4 million dollars or so. Even then, it may not have a breakfast room or a sun porch, two of my favorite rooms in this house.

I love this location - very convenient and an attractive neighborhood. My DD liked it so much, that when they moved back from NYC 19 years ago, they bought nearby. It just works.

I forgot to mention the house we have in town. It's small (under 1000 square feet), it is striking from the outside and one that I admired for years and when it finally came on the market it was way overpriced. It sat empty for nearly five years before the owners lowered the price to be more in line with the real estate market. We were able to arrange to see the inside which is even cuter than the outside and bought it that same day. It was sold by the owner and I don't think anyone else was aware it was for sale, the deal happened so quickly.

My father moved to our area after my mother died and he lived in it for a time. After he died, we kept it for our own use when we want to stay in town because there are events we want to attend, when we are snowed out at home and when my sister/friends come to visit.

I knew it was the one before I ever saw the inside. Very conveniently located, we can walk to almost everything including the grocery store, restaurants, pubs, shops, the park, etc. We're actually considering living in it when we decide that our current home is getting to be too much for us to take care of and maintain. I'm actually typing from our little house right this very moment!

When we came back to the states, we wanted to find a place to settle before we had school-aged kids. I wanted to live in the Miami area, he didn't. It had to be someplace warm so we thought San Diego would satisfy both of us. After a few months of house shopping, we realized we would never be able to afford a home there. He wanted to check out the Puget Sound, so we did. The constant rain and cold of winter sent us south to Texas. Come to find out, I don't like western Texas or the desert. He agreed to try the Tampa Bay area. We lived there for 2 years and I froze. I decided if I had to freeze my a** off, we should be near my family. So, here we are, still on the North Carolina coast, freezing my butt off every winter. Love our place here but I want to live in a zone 11 or 12 again before I die. I hate winter clothing, coats, hats and gloves.

Because my eyes teared up and I started to cry. It was perfect! My husband noted that it made negotiating over the price a bit difficult!

The house we live in now is a modular into which we put a great deal of it's design from our previous home in Michigan

In 1986, work forced a move from PA to MI. DH alone chose our house there. I didn't see it till the day we moved in. The only musts I gave to DH in his search for a home there was "there must be a garbage disposal in the kitchen sink and there must be a window with a nice view of a garden worthy backyard above that sink". He found us the perfect house all by himself. I loved that house and would have moved it with us back to PA when we retired in 1998. The best I could do was copy many of the features into our modular here.

Most of the time it's a process of elimination. That being said, after our first house, we built four out of the six houses we've owned.

We lived in a tri-level and since we are not getting any younger we knew that one day a single level home was in our future. We made a list of the things we wanted in a house, from must haves to negotiables. We were in no hurry, hadn't even started looking. A friend of my SOs health started to fail and we would help him with things at his house, didn't even consider ever buying his house, didn't even cross our minds, then the friend ask if we would be interested in buying as he would probably be going to a nursing or assisted living home. It had 19 of the 20 things we wanted/needed. It had a 1 car garage instead of a 2 car. Fine by us. Bought the house 3 1/2 years ago, never been happier.

Marilyn, I love your story about your house. I'm glad you were able to save it.

Marilyn, what a treasure you were able to give a new life! I am glad it is in caring hands and hope it protects you and nurtures you too.

My current home found me. We had only been in our last home a little over 3 years and weren't really looking to move. We had been thinking about finishing out a room over the garage and had looked at some of the homes on the market to see how much we justify on that house without putting it out of the range. The drawings came back far more extensive than we had been anticipating and were out of question. So we hit the pause button. Then, one morning, I got my sons to school and decided I didn't want to go home and just wanted to drive and enjoy the beautiful morning. I drove into the neighborhood next to mine -- I didn't really remember ever driving that circle. There was a home with a sign in front -- pulled a flyer and the photos showed vacant rooms, so I walked up and looked in windows. I knew right away I would have to redo the kitchen counters and appliances -- and the carpet and paint and remove a lot of wallpaper in nearly every room. We wound up gutting the kitchen as well as changing nearly all the cosmetics to remove the pink and green of an earlier time, but the house fits. Is it perfect? No -- still isn't. If my lot was a little larger and I could add a foot or two here or there, I could make some changes that would bring it closer, but this is home and it fits.

While we own a bit more than an acre, that extends to the middle of a low creek to the east. The home across the creek is on two acres and is completely hidden by trees. South of us is a ten-acre 'conservation' field; when the trees are bare, we can see houses on the far side. Across our two-lane road to the north is a nice home on two acres. Our nearest neighbor is west, about fifty feet from our house, with driveway, garage and kitchen on the far side.

We enjoy privacy, but only maintain about half an acre that is lawn and shrubs. We have a tight, 'new' home, one step above ground level, with 36" doors and no thresholds -- down the street from big 1920's 'country houses'. We built a formal staircase to a tall attic to 'fit in' with the much larger homes. A subsequent owner could add dormers and bedrooms to double the living space. Meanwhile, we have everything two seniors could want in 2900 sq ft (taxable) -- my 'few big rooms'.

After walking into the back yard and seeing that the owner had concreted almost all of it, I remember saying "Deal-breaker!" quite emphatically. So I guess it did speak to me. But my husband said "We can break up the concrete and have it hauled away." (we learned later it was 5-8" thick).

In pricy SoCal, we had considered many too-small houses trying to make them work. This house not only had the necessary office space, but a large bonus room we never even dared put on the wish list! Although the house was very dated, the floor plan is nice and it is in a great neighborhood. The positives (size, windows, location, decent lot size, price) far outweighed the few oh-wells (laundry in garage, garage configuration, work needed, small Master BR). We've been very happy with the choice.

I've been rolling on the floor, howling with laughter, ever since I read the subject line of the thread.

My house is so...very...not "The One."

I've not read the other responses yet.

I am forever thankful to have a solid roof, running water, electricity, heat, A/C, full fridge, clean, etc., and with so many in the world suffering without these things, I will not complain.

But I will continue the hysterical laughter every time I think of "The One."

I didn't really get to pick either house I've owned, but I guess I'll be happy just to have one. First house, me and hubby at the time took it over from relative who was worried about losing it...the condo I'm in now came out of selling the old house in the midst of filing BK. I really wasn't sure where I was going after selling the house and a real estate friend mentioned this condo he toured...we closed on it in 9 days :-) I think that is why I live vicariously through the people on House Hunters LOL

I forgot to mention. At the time we bought it I never gave this a thought. But one thing i I have learned to appreciate about my house is the direction it faces. The front faces south and the kitchen faces east. The bedrooms and family room are on the north side with the exception of the master on the west. However we don't have the heat or sun issues because that side is shaded by the two story house next to us. The house next to us has no windows to look out of. Just small frosted bathroom ones set high, so no privacy issues. Perfect set up for our usual climate. Most of my backyard is to the east and we get plenty of shade by mid afternoon. The "other" backyard to the north off the family room gets a nice afternoon breeze most days.

For most of us, I suspect, a decision of this magnitude requires that practical factors have to be considered before purely emotional aspects. Budget, house square footage and condition, lot size, location. After almost giving up, a new listing ticked all those marks. Drove by that evening, and it was a little off-putting: very steep roof lines, needs paint, kinda odd driveway -- what would it look like in daylight, and inside?

Inside, it reminded me so much of my grandparent's home, even built the same year (1940). But I fell in love with it standing in its tiny interior hall -- it felt so peaceful, like it had always been a loving, happy home. Sounds silly, but yes I knew it was "the one" at that moment.

There were a few twists and turns along the way, but it worked out :-)

Hareball, I've only read a few of the responses but can totally relate to your question. I think that the experience of buying a home, is different for everyone. For some it's business, for others like mysef, it was very personal. We looked at a ton of houses, new ones, old ones, large ones and small, none of which felt right. However, when we looked at this house, it was very different because I could see us living here in my mind. Not only did it feel right, but it also met 90% of our wish list. It needed a lot of work so my family thought I was nuts, but I really did know it was "the one".

My house isn't "the one" and I'll never have that. I have a home. It's very tiny. By todays standards, it's a cabin: just under 1000 square feet on the main floor. Three small bedrooms on the main floor. A living room and kitchen. No dining area. My bathroom is so small you can sit on the toilet, wash your hands in the sink and soak your feet in the bathtub at the same time. I am less than one block from 3 schools. That was the selling point. I didn't want my kids to walk a long distance until they were in senior high. There are 3 playgrounds within the same schools and the community hall. And at the time, I could walk to work. I have a huge yard. My "the one" house is on an acreage in the mountains with a view. That'll never happen.

Was the absolute right location and did not exceed budget (was underbudget).

We built our cottage in 1991. Just over 1400 SF and used it as a vacation home until we moved to Cape Cod in 1999. My husband built a large addition which took several years to complete since he was working full time from home and traveling a lot. Now that we're retired, I wish we had not made the addition so large but we have an easy walk to a bay beach and the climate is mild here.

When we retired, we wanted to move to a less congested area, but within 75 miles of previous home, to be near family. We spent 2 days driving around that area, and nothing felt right...until we came to this little town. We both said simultaneously, "This is it". We got a homes-for-sale book, and compared the homes to our "must-have" list (at least 5 acres, privacy, 2-car garage, etc.). The next day, we came back here, with a list of homes to visit. We walked into the first realty agency we came to, and when the agent asked what we were looking for, we told him we didn't know, but we knew that we would know it when we saw it. Stan walked up to the bulletin board, and saw a picture of this house--he said "that's the one." It was the first house we saw; we went to other homes, but Stan wouldn't even go inside them. We signed the contract a few days later. That was 24 years ago, and he wouldn't move from here for any amount of money. I love the house also. It is way too big for two people, but it allows me to have a quilt studio, and that's a good thing. We both knew right away that this was the right house for us.

Your heart will sing when you're at the right house! That's what we felt the moment we pull into a circular ( more like a pear shaped) driveway at a country property in the middle of nowhere. We made an offer the next day, and the seller accepted our offer an hour later. Everyone has a book in life, a path to follow......you'd know when you are at the right place, at right time for all good reasons.....just follow your heart.......

LOCATION. Loving the parts that could not be changed.

It's the neighbors, the size of the house (good value for Nashville-ish), the surrounding area, etc., so much to let me know it was MY house! My entire thought process played out here when I bought the home I am living in and loving. It was location, and it wasn't (the commute! I was wrong, it's 28 minutes in the morning, yay! and 45-60 minutes in the afternoon. Morning is better and afternoon is worse, but pretty close to my estimation). I love living on the lake and the wildlife. Looking at the before pictures, I need to do a before and after for it. Hm.

Just read your thread, very happy for you rob333! What a pretty house by the water!

Home, sweet home.

Ha! It was what we could afford at the time with an easy commute for DH. Almost 33 years later we're still here. Not my dream house but I don't dislike it as much as I used to. Have made peace with it and it's much better since we've redone the kitchen and baths. Hopefully I'll be able to get more of what I want in our retirement home....if we ever figure out where we want to go!

We would come down to this area of GA from Ohio and look for a house to buy. Saw many, but none we wanted, until we walked in the front door of "this" house and I just "knew" this was the house for us. Ranch house, all brick, flat land, 1 acre, lots of trees in the front yard, big workshop in the back, in the suburbs and not in a subdivision. Horses down the road....like the country living we were used to having. It was more than what we had planned on spending so we have a mortgage we will probably never live long enough to pay off, but I LOVE this house and location. It is handicapped accessible which I needed and we did have a ramp built to the back deck.

For those who don't understand the the San Francisco Bay Area market this is what 2 million will get you. I am pretty sure that the couple who bought this standard tract home built in '63 weren't thinking this is the one when they bid on it out of desperation. They had been outbid several times on other similar homes. The high prices are due to tech facilities moving in. Forget about family finding an affordable home to raise their kids in.

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Sunnyvale/1129-Prunelle-Ct-94087/home/1376492

watchme, what $2M bought there interested me so much, I had to look. See what you can get in Nashville for $2M? Even among green rolling hills. It's probably why people keep moving here. Low prices aren't going to last long with all the jokers moving here.

I know much of the rest of the country is far different Rob. That's why I posted the link. It's crazy. People probably paid around 14,000 dollars max for that home when it was built. Probably less.

I know, isn't it crazy?

When we bought our second home (mfg), we had been looking for a whole year. How could it be so difficult? Anyway, out of desperation, we went to a place that sold used homes. They are not staged, not even cleaned. Yet, I walked in and told DH: "we found it". It was a visceral reaction, that's all I can say. Many years later I still adore it and always tell DH that if it gets blown away by a tornado we shall rebuild it exactly as it is now.

That 2M ranch would be $250,000-300,000 here. Wow, what a difference! People should move up north by the Great Lakes for affordable living.

That house in this area would be less than 200k.

Median incomes and cost of living are wildly different in different areas. Taxes vary too -- along with what you do or do not get for them!

What's the property tax for that 2M ranch? The property tax in LA might be cheaper than here though. One of my neighbors is moving out to the countryside next year due to the high property tax. The property tax for a 2500 sqft home in my neighborhood is over $7000 per year. That's including the school tax.

It'll be about 1% per year or slightly more for any new buyer.

Real estate tax in California was radically changed by an initiative, Prop 13, in the late 70s. Houses can only be reassessed to true market value when sold. Through the years of ownership, there's a limit for how much an annual reassessment can increase value, I think it's a few percent or less, an amount substantially less than value increases over the past many decades in most places. I've lived in my house for 30 years and the full value for property tax purposes is less than 30% of its real value because of the limitation on annual increases. A new owner will have the value (and taxes) increased by 3X or more.

Thanks for the info. Now I know property tax isn't cheap in CA. Here is about 3%.

Compared to many places, property tax in California is cheap, if comparing our 1% to your 3%. What isn't cheap is real estate, as that one recent ridiculous sale demonstrates. The SF Bay area and Silicon Valley real estate markets in particular are overheated right now.

I know people in the metro NYC area (in NY and other neighboring states) who pay substantially higher taxes when looked at as a percentage of value and that may be true elsewhere too. Urban areas on the coasts have been booming over the last decade, plus, and nothing more so than real estate prices

We'd lived in the neighborhood for 10 years and loved the area but wanted to upgrade our housing. We looked at purchasing our current home back in 1994 but couldn't afford it. (Three+ acres, lakefront, perfect location.) We ended up remodeling. Ten years pass by. The wife comes in from work and says "The Van Hooks house is for sale!". Two weeks later we owned it.

You bought a house in 2 weeks?!? Wow, that's fast! We bought a house in 30 days, I thought that was speedy. Good for you! It meant to be yours. :-)

We bought our current and last house a few years ago. The subdivision is a former plantation with 100 year old oak trees lining the street entrance. We owned a 2.5 acre lot in the subdivision for years with the intention of building. We kept putting off building, until a health crisis made us realize we weren't going to live forever and needed to make a decision. We decided we didn't want the hassle of building, so put the lot up for sale. It sold the next day.

I told our realtor to find us a one story house in the same subdivision. She told me there was a 2 story that was going to be listed as soon as the owners finished renovating the master bathroom. She gave us the address so we could do a drive by. We loved the outside. It had a lot of mature trees and was on a more manageable sized lot for us - a little over 1.5 acres. We asked her to let us see the house before she put a sign in the yard. We didn't look at any other houses.

When we finally got to go inside, we loved it. We made an offer immediately. They accepted. I have never loved living anywhere, like I love living here.

I'm not unhappy with our RE taxes (about 1% of market value) because of what we get for our money. The biggest hunk of tax goes to the schools -- and the schools are highly rated; residents have 'great expectations' here. There are also good-sized parochial schools and two boarding/day schools. (Those 'expectations' again!)

We have excellent city services -- police, fire, streets, water, sanitary, parks, beaches -- and we are a 'Tree City'. There is a lot of community participation on boards and in service clubs.

You don't always get what you pay for in taxes, but in most places a restricted tax rate results in inferior schools and public services. No surprise.

For me, I'd been looking for months. When I walked into my now current house, even with the negatives, I "felt as though I was home". I belonged here. It was "the one".